Traffic-signal



1.. MIDDLEBROOKS.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921,

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

I. MIDDLEBROOKS.

I TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I, I9I8 6 Z W L QM v Q 2 1 T JIIIIIIEI I I w v a a 8 H a H 1. q m I a P II I\\.\

j. MIDDLEBROOKS.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, l9l8- 1,37 1,106, Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 5114mm J 1% mroofis UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.. TRAFFIC-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed October 1, 1918. Serial No. 256,409.

T all whom it may con-067 11,:

Be it known that 1, James M. MIDDLE- BROOKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traffic-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved traffic signal for automobiles or other vehicles and has as its primary object to provide a device of this character which may be readily attached to the rear of substantially any conventional type operated from the drivers seat "for giving a signal of an intention oi the driver to stop, or to turn either to the right or left.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device of this character wherein a pilot signal intended to direct attention to the signal device will normally be displayed to the end that traffic may not fail to observe the device when a signal is given indicating a change in the course of movement of the vehicle.

A still further object of the inve .tion is to provide a device wherein, when actuated to give a signal, an alarm will be automatically sounded "or thus directing attention to the signal displayed.

And the invention has as a still 1 object to provide a signal employing a char acter drum rotataole for selectively d solay ing the signals carried thereby and wherein the said drum will be constantly uncer spring tension tending to rotate the drum to its normal position displaying the pilot signal.

Other and incidental objects will appear during the course of the detailed description of the invention. In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar relerence characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved signal device detachet V Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the operating member for signal. g V

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 83 of downwardly, V

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4; of Fig. 2,

' Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of motor vehicle and the Fig. and looking more particularly illustrating the details of construction of the signal, I

Fig. 6 is a. sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows, this view being on an enlarged scale and particularly illustrating the disposition of the pivoted cam members for actuating the tapper of the alarm,

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view more particularly illustrating the mounting of the pivoted cam members, and

Fig. 10 1s a plan view showing the cylinder of the character drum as it'would a-ppear if laid out flat and illustrating the signals carried by the drum.

In carrying the invention into effect, a cylindrical casing 10 is employed. This casing may be formed of sheet metal or other approved material and at its forward side is provided with a. display opening 11. Closing the ends of the casing and removably engaged therewith are end caps 12 and 18 resp.,ctively. These end caps, adjacent their peripheries, are provided with inwardly directed flanges 14: removably fitting snugly within the ends of the casing, the said flanges being, as particularly shown in Fig. 5 or? the drawings, surrounded by suitable annular shoulders upon the caps abutting the ends of the casing; Formed axially on the inner side of the cap 12 is a boss 15. The cap 13 is provided upon its inner side with a somewhat similar boss 16 and removably lit-ted through these bosses to project beyond the end caps is a tubular shaft 17. Fitted over the ends of the shaft to abut the end caps 12 and 13 are angle brackets 18, the free arms of which may be bolted or otherwise secured to a vehicle for mounting the device at any approved point thereon. Threaded upon the ends of the shaft are clamping nuts 19 and interposed between these nuts and the adjacent arms of the angle'brackets are washers 20. Thus, as will be clear, the nuts may be adjusted for clamping the end caps 12 and 13 upon the casing and rigidly securing the attaching brackets against the said end caps. snugly fitting within the casing 10 to abut at its 7 ends with the flanges 14 of the end caps,

V inder will, of course, close the display open-- Snugly fitted is a, transparent cylinder 21 which will preferably be formed of clear glass. This cyling 11 in the casing for excluding dust or dirt therefrom.

Journaled upon the shaft 17 to rotate within the transparent cylinder 21, is a character drum 22. This drum, like the casing 10, is also preferably formed of suitable sheet metal and is closed at its ends by heads 23'and 24: respectively, rcmovably fitting within the ends of the drum and held by tie bolts 25. These heads are provided axially upon the inner. sides thereof with suitable bosses rotatably receiving the shaft and interposed between the heads and the bosses 15 and 16 of the end caps 12 and 13 of the casing are washers 25 surrounding the shaft. The drum may'thus freely turn upon the shaft and for lubricating. the journals of the heads 23 and 24 the bosses 15 and 16 are, as particularly shown in Fig. 5, preferably provided with lubricant channels 26. Stenciled through the drum 22 are a plurality of signals arranged at quadrantly spaced points about the drum. These signals are, as particularly shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings constituted by the words Right,

Left, Stop and YVatch, the word Watch, as shall presently appear, being a pilot signal and, of course, the drum may be rotated to dispose any one of these signals opposite the opening 11 in the casing for display.

within the drum and confined between the heads 23 and 2d thereof, is a transparent cylinder 27. This cylinder will preferably be formed of glass, colored ruby red and will provide a background for thefsignals. In order to form a contrast with the color-of this cylinder, thedrum will be preferably enameled or otherwise coated white, Connected to the shaft 17 within the cylinder 27 in the manner shown in Fig. 7, is a plurality of suitable lamp sockets 28 and removably fitted in these sockets are electric lamps 29. A cable or conductor 30 is carried through the end of the shaft at the cap 12 of the casing and the circuit wires of this cable are suitably connected with the sockets-28. The cable 30 maybe led from a storage battery upon the vehicle, or other approved source of electrical energy thereon so that at night the filaments of the lamps 29 may be energized for illuminatingthe signals of the character drum. Formed in the end cap 12 of the casing is, as particularly shown in Fig. 1, an opening 31 and formed through the head 23 ofthe drum and adapted to register with the opening31, is, as particularly shown in Fig. 6, a similar opening 32. These openings are provided so that the lamps 29 may be removed therethrough and normally closing the opening 31 is a closure neath the floor of the vehicle.

plate 33 pivoted upon the end cap 12 to over- .lie such opening.

of this spring-is connected by a screw or other suitable fastening device 35 to the head 24 of the character drum and tends to counter-rotate the drum and yieldably hold the drum in normal position displaying the pilot signal l Vatch at the opening 11 in the casing. Formed on the head 23 of the drum is a grooved annular flange or sheave 36 and engaging around this flange to be connected at one end thereto is a cord or cable 37 which is passed through a tubular guide 38 therefor projecting tangentially from the lower side of the end cap 12 of the casing. At the forward end of the ve hicle adjacent the drivers seat, is mounted an operating member for the signal and the forward end of the cable is connected to this operating member. The operating member is shown in detail in'F'igs. 2, 3 and of the drawings and includes an upwardly inclined tubular post 39 threaded at its lower end through a floor plate 10 disposed be- Loosely fitted over the post and resting against the upper face of the floor is a similar plate 11, and connecting these plates are bolts or other suitable fastening devices 42 extending through the floor. The post will thus be rigidly secured in upstanding position. Formed integrally with they plate 10 or otherwise mounted adjacent the plate is a bracket 43 carrying a pulley44 over which the cable 37 is trained. Slidably fitting over the post is a sleeve 45 upon the upper end of which is threaded a cap 46. Fixed to this cap axially thereof is a handle'4e7 so that the handle may be turned for'rotating the sleeve and, as will now be observed, the forward end portion of the cable 37 is led from the pulley 4 1 through the post 39 and is connected at its adjacent end'to the handle 47. Formed in the post 89, at suitable vertically spaced points thereon, are substantially triangular shaped notches 48 and4l-9 respectively. Spaced above the notch 49 and in vertical alinem en't therewithv is a slot 50. At the lower edges of the notches 48 and 19 are defined shoulders or ledges 51 and the side walls of these notches converge upwardly from said ledges to provide outwardly inclined beveled shoulders 52 merging into the peripheral face of the post. 'Riveted or otherwise connected at one end to the sleeve 45 is a spring catch 53 bent, adjacent its free end, at substantially right angles to be freely received through a slot in the sleeve. will thus bear against the peripheral face of the post to ride thereover as the sleeve is shifted vertically upon the post.

- The. free end of the catch As will now be clear, when the handle .47 of the sleeve is grasped and the sleeve lifted upon the post 39, the cable 37. will be actuated to rotate the character drum 22 in a clockwise direction. Consequently, by lifting the sleeve to engage the catch with the ledge of the notch 48 in the post, the drum will be rotated to display the signal Stop opposite the display opening 11 in the casing. As particularly brought out inFi 4 of the drawings, the free end of the catdh when engaged with the ledge of the notch 48, will abut the inclined shoulders 52 of said notch. Therefore, continued upward lifting of the sleeve by the handle 47 will serve to ride the catch over said shoulders onto the peripheral face of the post 39 so that the sleeve may be elevated to engage the catch with the ledge of the notch 49. The character drumwill then be rotated to display the signal Left opposite the display opening 11 of the casing. Continued upward lifting of the sleeve will then serve to ride the catch over the shoulders 52 of the notch 49 so that the sleeve may be elevated to engage the catch within the slot 50 of the post, when the character drum will be rotated to display the signal Right opposite the display opening 11 of the casing. The sleeve may thus be readily actuated from the drivers eat to operate the signal device for giving a signal of an intention of the driver to stop, or to turn eitherto the left or right. The slot 50 is provided so. that the catch 53 may engage therein for limiting the sleeve in its upward movement upon the post. However, the end walls of this slot are beveled like the shoulders 52 of the notches 48 and 49 and the free end of the catch, when engaged within the slot, will abut these end walls. Consequently, by slightly rotating the sleeve in either one direction or the other, the catch will ride over a corresponding wall of the slot onto the peripheral face of the post when the sleeve may be lowered to its normal position abutting at its lower end with the upper floor plate 41 for the post. hen the sleeve is thus lowered, the spring 34 will counterrotate the character drum to its normal position displaying the pilot signal Vfatch opposite the display opening '11 in the casing. This pilot signal is employed in order that attention may be directed to the signal device. Should the catch 53 be engaged in either of the notches 48 or 49, the sleeve 45 may be slightly rotated in either direction to ride the free end of the catch 53 over a corresponding one of the shoulders 52 onto the peripheral face of the post for permit ting the lowering of the sleeve. Thus, it will be seenthat the sleeve may be readily actuated for rotating the character drum to give any desired signal and may then be released and lowered to permit the counterrotation of the drum to its normal position.

During the day time the signals will, of

course, be readily visible through the transparent cylinder 21 within the casing. At night, when the lamps 29 are energized, the signals will be illuminated and owing to the presence of the red colored cylinder 27 within the character drum, will appear in red. Further, this construction provides an arrangement whereby the watch signal norilnakllly displayed may be employed as a tail Operable by the character drum upon the rotation thereof, is an alarm mechanism. This alarm mechanism includes a bell or gong 54 freely fitted over the shaft 17 at the end thereof adjacent the end cap 13 of the casing. Threaded upon the said end of the shaftto engage opposite side faces of the bell arenuts 55 detachably securing the bell in position. Journaled through the end cap 13 in a plane adjacent the periphery of the bell is a shaft 56 bent at its outer end to provide a tapper 57 adapted to strike against the inner face of the bell. At its inner end, the shaft 56 is bent to provide a short crank 58 from'the outer end of which projects a crank pin 59 extending toward the head 24 of the character drum and terminating adj acent the outer face of said head. Formed in the inner face of the end cap .13 of the casing to surround the shaft 56 is'a recess 60 and received within this recess is a helical spring 61 surrounding the shaft. One end of the spring is connected to the shaft while the other end of said spring is embedded in the wall of the recess so that the spring will act upon the shaft to urge the tapper towardthebcll and normally hold said tapper in engagement therewith.

Mounted upon the outer face of the head 24 of the'chara-cter drum is a plurality of concentric cam members 62, 63 and 64 respectively. These cam members are, as particularly shown in Fig. 9, pivoted at corresponding ends thereof upon suitable pivot screws 65 threaded into the head 24 and are thus adapted to swing in a plane parallel with the head. The cam members are of a thickness somewhat less than the length of the crankpin so that said members will pass the crank 58 and projecting laterally from the head at the inner sides of the cam members short stop pins 66 which are also of a length to pass the crank 53. The pins 66 are adapted for engagement by the free ends of the cam members for limiting said members in their inward swinging movement and projecting laterally from the head at the outer sides of the cam members are similar pins 67 adapted for free ends of the cam members for limiting said members in their outward swinging movement.

It is now to be observed that the pivoted engagement by the V the character drum is released play of a desired signal and the character ends of the cam members are spaced a greater distance from the axis of the character drum than is the crank pin 59 so that each of the said members as it is advanced toward the crank pin 59 will swing inwardly to engage its stop pin 66, these stop pins being located in an arc of less radius'than the distance between the crank pin and the axis of the character drum. Consequently, the cam members will each present an inclined surface to the crank pin as said cam members are respectively moved to engage therewith and will accordingly, as the character :drum is rotated, engage the said pin and swing the crank 58 to move the tapper 57 away from the bell 54. Then, as each of the cam. members clears the crank pin, releasing the crank, the spring 61 will imme diately shift the tapper to strike the bell.

The cam members 62, 63 and 64 are so disposed upon the head that when'the character drum is rotated to respectively display the signals Stop, Left and Right, said cam members will successively release the crank pin 59 immediately before a corresponding signal is brought into full position opposite the display opening 11 in the casing so that as each signal is displayed, the alarm will be sounded practically simultaneously for directing attention to the signal. Further, in this connection it is to be observed that when the signal Stop is displayed, the alarm will be sounded once. WVhen the signal Left is displayed the alarm will be sounded'twice, while when the signal Right is displayed the alarm will be sounded three times. Thus, the sounding of the alarm will serve to indicate to the operator that the desired signal is being properly displayed. When after the disdrum is counter-rotated by the spring 34, the cam Inemberswill be advanced to encounter the crank pin 59 at the inner sides of said members so that the members will thus be swungoutwardly by the crank pin to ride thereover. Free counter-rotation of the drum will thus be permitted.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described including a casing, removable end caps closing the casing, a stationary shaft extending through the casing and said end caps, adjustable means upon the end portions of the shaft clamping the end caps in position, a character drum rotatable upon the shaft within the casing and provided with a signal, and means independentof the shaft engaged with the drum and operable for nal, and means engageable with the drum andoperable for rotating the drum to display said signal.

3. A device of the character described i11- cluding a casing, a cylindrical character drum rotatable therein and provided with a signal, a transparent cylinder disposed 7 within the drum and providing a background for said signal, and means for rotating the drum to display said signal.

4. A device of the character described including a casing, a character drum rotatable therein and provided with a signal, means for rotating the drum to display said signal,

a gong, a spring pressed tapper mountedto cooperate with the gong and, provided with a crank, and a cam member carried by the drum to engage said crank for swinging the tapper away. from the gong, the cam member being adapted to release the tapper upon the movement of the drum to display the slgnal.

5. A device of the character described including a casing, a character drum rotatable therein and provided with a signal, means for rotating the drum in one direction to display said signal, yieldable means for counter-rotating the drum, a gong, a spring pressed tapper mounted to cooperate with the gong andprovided 'vvitha crank having a crank pin, and a pivoted cam member car ried by the drum and shiftable to selectively cooperate with said crank pin for actuating the tapper to sound the gong incident to the display of the signal, said cam member being adapted to ride over the crank pin when the gong is counter-rotated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES M. MIDDLEBRODKS. [L.s.l 

